Prime Evil Mud Slinging

I do not support Governor Fletcher. With that stated, his drinking is not relevant. His personal life is not relevant.

From Blue Grass, Red State:

As Governor, Ernie Fletcher has certainly enjoyed his fair share of alcoholic beverages. The Fletcher campaign says that "you can be a religious person and have an occasional alcoholic drink." Well, sort of.

Ryal Alessi caught up with Pastor David Carr, who runs the King of Kings Radio Network Inc. in Somerset, Glasgow and Cookeville, Tenn. Mr. Carr, a "religious person," said that "Any time you drink alcohol or you have parties with alcohol, for religious people, it's a negative."

For me, this raises what may be a more important question. Has Ernie Fletcher changed since back when he was a lay minister at Lexington Primitive Baptist Church? Many churches that I know of require the church leadership to abstain from alcohol completely to set a good example for the church body and the community, and to avoid giving the wrong impression to people who may not be familiar with the person, the church, or Christianity in general. I'm sure Lex PBC is no different. In his candidate profile from the Lex H-L on 4/23, Ernie Fletcher says he left the Lex PBC in 1994 after his faith became "a little more progressive."

Did Ernie Fletcher enjoy an occasional alcoholic drink while he was a lay minister? That would have almost certainly been a violation of church rules, although I haven't consulted the church. And what did he mean by "a little more progressive?" His faith has changed? Also, how often does Ernie Fletcher consider "occasional" when he's in Frankfort?